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Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

After overnight Iranian missile strikes hit Irbil, Iraq, killing four people and injuring six others, locals say they are afraid they will fall victim to a war they say they had no part in creating. VOA's Heather Murdock reports from Istanbul with Halan Akoiy in the village of Mala Omar outside Irbil in Iraq's Kurdistan region.

Jerusalem — Iran launched attacks Tuesday in Pakistan targeting what it described as bases for the militant group Jaish al-Adl, state media reported, potentially further raising tensions in a Middle East already roiled by Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Confusion followed the announcements as some of the reports soon disappeared. However, any attack inside of nuclear-armed Pakistan by Iran would threaten the relations between the two countries, which long have eyed each other with suspicion. The state-run IRNA news agency and state television had said that missiles and drones were used in the attack, which was not immediately acknowledged by Pakistan. Jaish al-Adl is a Sunni militant group which largely operates across the border in Pakistan. Reports were then suddenly removed without explanation, though the semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies still ran nearly identical stories on their websites Tuesday night. Press TV, the English-language arm of Iranian state television, later attributed the attack to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Authorities offered no explanation of what was happening, though sensitive stories in Iran can suddenly disappear from state media. Officials in Pakistan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Late Monday, Iran fired missiles into Iraq at what it called an Israeli "spy headquarters" near the U.S. Consulate compound in the city of Irbil, the seat of Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and at targets linked to the extremist Islamic State group in northern Syria. Iraq on Tuesday called the attacks, which killed several civilians, a "blatant violation" of Iraq's sovereignty and recalled its ambassador from Tehran.

Cairo — Yemen's Houthi militia group, which controls the capital, Sana’a and parts of Yemen's Red Sea coast, has attacked another ship in the Gulf of Aden, following a rash of attacks over the past several weeks. Iran's supreme leader is encouraging the Houthis, which serve as an Iranian proxy in the region, to continue attacking U.S. and western ships. Such attacks threaten to further exacerbate tensions in the region and the fragile economies of many regional states. Yemen's Houthis attacked a Maltese-flagged vessel in the Gulf of Aden Tuesday, following a rash of attacks on international shipping in recent days. Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who supports the Houthis, urged them to "continue their attacks." Yahya Saria, spokesman for the Houthis' military forces, said they would continue attacking U.S. and British ships and seek revenge for U.S. and British attacks on their forces in recent days. He says that [the Houthis'] naval forces carried out an attack targeting a U.S. ship in the Gulf of Aden using sea missiles and resulting in a direct and precise hit. He says that the Houthis consider all U.S. and British ships legitimate enemy targets after they attacked Yemen and that no new attack will go without a response. Yemeni analyst Salah al-Aghbar told Sky News Arabia that Iran is "trying to assert that the Red Sea is a vital waterway to it and that it can close both the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz during a conflict, if the need should arise." Mehrdad Khonsari, a London-based Iranian analyst and former diplomat, tells VOA that Tehran is "not capable of closing either the Red Sea or the Strait of Hormuz and that it is just using rhetoric for propaganda purposes.” He argues that the Houthis are a useful proxy, but mostly a diversion from more important Iranian assets like Hezbollah. "Iranians, whilst they are cautious not to escalate the combat in a way that would involve them, or their primary proxy group, Hezbollah, they see the Houthis as a vehicle for increasing pressures on the world community without actually getting them involved in some kind of direct conflict with the west," he said. "Now, if the Israelis were to attack Hezbollah, then obviously Iranians would become involved, but that is the kind of scenario that they would like to avoid.” Khonsari adds that Houthi attacks "dissuade Israel from going after Hezbollah and act as a very convenient diversion for the Iranians to direct attention away from more important areas to it, like the Lebanese border with Israel and Hezbollah bases, which are critical for the survival of Iranian regional policy. If Hezbollah were attacked and degraded by Israel, he says, this would mean the collapse of Iranian regional policy and proxies, whereas degrading the Houthis or Hamas does not affect overall Iranian policy to a great extent. Washington-based Gulf analyst Theodore Karasik tells VOA that U.S. and British attacks on the Houthis are clearly intended to degrade their military capabilities. "These strikes are important and meant to degrade the capacity of the Houthis, who are being backed by Iran, and that evidence is undeniable," he said. "They are clearly linked, and consequently, such activity is going to continue to have an impact because of the back-and-forth and escalation process." Karasik also insists that there is diplomatic wrangling taking place behind the scenes through various negotiating channels between key Gulf states, with lots of what he calls wheeling and dealing. Yemeni analyst Fawaz Nasr, however, disagrees, telling Arab media that the Saudi-supported Yemeni government based in Aden, which opposes the Houthis, stresses that the U.S. and British attacks on the Houthis "will have no effect whatsoever unless the Houthis are dislodged from territories that they control," including key parts of Yemen's Red Sea coastline. Meanwhile, as many western ships and cargo vessels change course away from the Red Sea and Suez Canal for the longer Horn of Africa route, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with officials with the French government's shipping authority to try to reassure Western shippers that the Suez Canal is safe.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Catholic bishops in Malawi have joined other African bishops defying the recent Vatican declaration allowing the blessing of same-sex unions. Chimwemwe Padatha has more from the capital Lilongwe.

Washington is stepping up efforts to enforce sanctions against Russia with secondary sanctions meant to stop Turkey from helping Moscow and its trading partners circumvent trade restrictions over the war in Ukraine. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, analysts say the success or failure of the sanctions will depend on how much nations stand to lose by restricting commercial links with Russia.

Hamas released video they say shows the dead bodies of two Israeli hostages. Tensions remain high in the Red Sea as two U.S. Navy Seals are lost at sea. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is in Davos, we’ll get an update from Kyiv and a look at possible changes to the North Korean constitution.

Johannesburg, South Africa — China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a tour of four African countries this week, and analysts say the choice of Egypt, Tunisia, Togo and Ivory Coast indicate Beijing’s current foreign policy objectives, including a desire to play a greater role in negotiating peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Wang has made the African continent his first international port of call at the start of every year since becoming foreign minister in 2013. The only exception was 2023, when his short-lived replacement, Qin Gang, was at the helm. This year’s trip started in North Africa, in Egypt, a key player in Middle East politics. In Cairo, Wang advocated for a peace conference to be held on the war in Gaza and called for a timetable to implement a two-state solution. He also used his stop to call for an end to attacks on civilian vessels in the Red Sea. China is concerned about the escalating crisis around the critical international trade route, after Yemen’s Houthi rebels started attacking cargo ships in protest at Israel’s war with Hamas. The attacks have disrupted global commerce, and U.S. and U.K. forces responded last week by conducting strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, raising the specter of a regional war developing. In a veiled swipe at the West, Wang warned that “the adding of fuel to the fire of tensions in the Red Sea should be avoided and an increase in the overall security risk of the region should be prevented.” As a first stop, Egypt makes sense, analysts say. “I expected that Wang Yi's first stop would be Egypt, given its potential to play a role in reducing tensions in the Middle East,” Lauren Johnston, associate professor at the University of Sydney’s China Studies Center, told VOA. Cobus van Staden, a China expert at the South African Institute for International Affairs, agreed Egypt was a likely first stop “because of its adjacency to the Israel crisis and also the Red Sea shipping crisis, so it’s kind of a double whammy.” Paul Nantulya, a research associate at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, said China wants to have a more prominent role on the international stage in terms of the Israel-Hamas war. “China is pushing very hard and working with the Global South countries around the Gaza crisis,” he said. Separately, China has invested a lot in Egypt through its infrastructure-building Belt and Road Initiative and is building the country’s new capital. Egypt also became a member of the BRICS group of emerging nations — in which China is a key player — at the start of the year. Au revoir France, Ni Hao China? Analysts also noted that the countries’ chosen for Wang’s trip are in areas experiencing a decline of Western influence and therefore good territory for China to make inroads. Tunisia, for example, was in a dispute last year with the European Union over a financial aid package aimed at stopping migration to Europe. Togo and Ivory Coast are in West Africa, a region that’s increasingly been severing ties with former colonial power France. “Possibly China sees an opportunity in the rapid escalation of anti-French feeling in the Sahel,” van Staden told VOA. Russia has also been increasing its influence in the region. West Africa has experienced several recent military coups, and Nantulya said it was interesting that despite having had close relations with the governments that were deposed, China hasn’t been that adversely affected. “I think the Chinese side has been able to protect its equities and to establish very strong ties with the military governments that are in place,” he said. In terms of Ivory Coast, Johnston noted the country is home to the African Development Bank, saying: “Perhaps some new financing will be announced in partnership with the AfDB.” Additionally, China has a number of large port projects in West Africa, analysts said, as another explanation for Wang’s itinerary. Football stadium diplomacy There are several events taking place in Africa while Wang is there that also could be reasons for his country choices. There is a senior Chinese team at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Kampala this week, said Nantulya, adding: "It’s unclear whether Wang will make a surprise stop.” And while Wang is in town, Ivory Coast is hosting the Africa Cup of Nations — the most important football tournament in Africa. It’s unclear whether Wang will take in a match, but if he did, it would be in a Chinese-built stadium. China has been building stadiums across the continent, according to a recent piece in The Conversation. “Linked to the belt and road initiative, which is intended to promote trade and foster interdependence between China and other nations, stadiums have frequently been gifted to African nations [or else paid for using relatively cheap loans],” the article said. After Africa, Wang heads to Jamaica and Brazil, two more countries that show China’s increasing focus on engagement with the so-called Global South.

Dubai/Baghdad — An Iranian missile strike on targets in northern Iraq set off an unusual dispute between the neighboring allies on Tuesday, with Baghdad recalling its ambassador in protest and Tehran insisting the attack was intended to deter threats from Israeli spies. Iran's Revolutionary Guards hit what they called an Israeli espionage center in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, Iranian media reported late on Monday, while the elite force said they also struck in Syria against the Islamic State. The strike appeared likely to deepen worries about worsening instability across the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas started on Oct. 7, with Iran's allies also entering the fray from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. There has also been concern that Iraq could again become a theater for regional conflict after a series of U.S. strikes on Iran-linked militant groups that are also part of Iraq's formal security forces. Those strikes came in response to dozens of attacks on U.S. forces in the region carried out since Oct. 7. The Guards said the late Monday attack, Iran's first direct military strike in the region linked to the Gaza war, was in response to Israeli "atrocities" against several of its commanders and those of Iranian-allied forces around the Middle East since the conflict started. 'Clear aggression' against Iraq Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said the attack was "clear aggression" against Iraq and a dangerous development that undermined the strong relationship between Tehran and Baghdad, state media reported. He said Iraq reserved its right to take all legal and diplomatic measures granted to it by its sovereignty. In protest, Iraq recalled its envoy from Tehran and summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Baghdad. The strike, on a residential area near the U.S. consulate in Kurdistan's capital Irbil, was described by Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani as a "crime against the Kurdish people" in which at least four civilians were killed and six injured. Multimillionaire Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee and several family members were among the dead, killed when at least one rocket crashed into their home, Iraqi security and medical sources said. Iraq National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji denied the house was an Israeli spy center. "To respond to the claim that there is a Mossad headquarters we visited the place and toured every corner of this house, and everything indicates that it is a family house belonging to an Iraqi businessman from Irbil," he told reporters. 'Reckless' Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hayman said he would not speculate, when asked at a press briefing about Iran's assertion that it struck a Mossad site. "What I will say is Iran continues to use its proxies to attack Israel on multiple fronts. We condemn Iran's activities and we call on the international community to stand up in defiance of Iran and call for peace in the region," he said. Defending the attack, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Tehran respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries but it was Iran's "legitimate right to deter national security threats." In addition to the Irbil strike, the Guards said they fired ballistic missiles in Syria and destroyed "perpetrators of terrorist operations" in Iran, including the Islamic State. Islamic State claimed responsibility for two explosions in Iran this month that killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores at a memorial for top commander Qassem Soleimani. France accused Iran of violating Iraq's sovereignty and Washington condemned the attacks as "reckless." U.S. officials said no U.S. facilities were hit and there were no U.S. casualties. Iran, which supports Hamas in its war with Israel, accuses the U.S. of backing what it calls Israeli crimes in Gaza. The U.S. has said it backs Israel in its campaign but has raised concerns about the number of Palestinian civilians killed. Iran has in the past carried out strikes in Iraq's Kurdistan region, saying the area is used as a staging ground for Iranian separatist groups as well as agents of its arch-foe Israel. Baghdad has tried to address Iranian concerns over separatist groups in the region, moving to relocate some members as part of a security agreement reached with Tehran in 2023.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Harare, Zimbabwe — The U.N.'s Children's Fund commended Zimbabwe Monday for raising the age of sexual consent to 18 years, a move that children’s rights groups hope will deter pedophiles. President Emmerson Mnangagwa used a statutory instrument to raise the age of consent from 16 to 18 years in the Southern African nation. Violators could spend 10 years in jail. UNICEF’s Zimbabwe representative, Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, welcomed the change. "This legislation has come to complement the amendment to the Marriages Act that prohibits the marriage of anyone less than age of 18,” he said. “We as UNICEF see these two legislations as critical legal instruments that will come toward ensuring that our children, especially the adolescent girls, are safe and protected.” Ekenia Chifamba, a director of the girls’ rights group Shamwari Yemwanasikana, said she hopes the change will deter pedophiles. "We were disgruntled in instances where we would see perpetrators’ penalties that were not favorable — some of them being given community service — while the girl would have to deal with key issues that mattered, which included their health,” Chifamba said. Some girls would go for “backyard abortions,” she said, while others struggled with their mental health. Some girls have to drop out of school after becoming pregnant, as most learning institutions in Zimbabwe do not accept expecting mothers as students.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

JERUSALEM — U.S. Navy SEALS seized Iranian-made missile parts and other weaponry from a ship bound for Yemen's Houthi rebels in a raid last week that saw two of its commandos go missing, the U.S. military said Tuesday.  Meanwhile, a new ship came under suspected fire from the Houthis in the Red Sea and sustained some damage, though no one was wounded, officials said.  The raid marks the latest seizure by the U.S. Navy and its allies of weapon shipments bound for the rebels, who have launched a series of attacks now threatening global trade in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The seized missile components included types likely used in those attacks.  The attacks, U.S.-led retaliatory strikes and the raid all have raised tensions across the wider Middle East, which also saw Iran conduct ballistic missile strikes in both Iraq and Syria.  The SEAL raid happened last Thursday, with the commandos launching from the USS Lewis B. Puller backed by drones and helicopters, with the U.S. military's Central Command saying it took place in the Arabian Sea.  The SEALs traveled in small special operations combat craft driven by naval special warfare crew to get to the boat. As they were boarding it in rough seas, around 8 p.m. local time, one SEAL got knocked off by high waves and a teammate went in after him. Both remain missing.  The SEALs found cruise and ballistic missile components, including propulsion and guidance devices, as well as warheads, Central Command said. It added that air defense parts also were found.  "Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea," Central Command said in a statement.  Images released by the U.S. military analyzed by The Associated Press showed components resembling rocket motors and others previously seized. It also included what appeared to be an anti-ship cruise missile with a small turbojet engine — a type used by the Houthis and Iran.  Also included in the photos was a warhead similarly seen in the Iranian anti-ship missiles which are based off an earlier Chinese design, said Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.  "Looking at the size and the robustness of the thing, it looks a lot like an anti-ship warhead," Hinz said.  Hinz also noted the warhead in the photo has a sticker reading "GHAD" on it. Iran has an anti-ship missile called the Ghadir.  The U.S. Navy ultimately sunk the ship carrying the weapons after deeming it unsafe, Central Command said. The ship's 14 crew have been detained.  The Houthis have not acknowledged the seizure and Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  A United Nations resolution bans arms transfers to Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. Tehran has long denied arming the rebels, despite physical evidence, numerous seizures and experts tying the weapons back to Iran.  Meanwhile Tuesday, a missile struck the Malta-flagged bulk carrier Zografia in the Red Sea. The vessel had been heading north to the Suez Canal when it was attacked, the Greek Shipping and Island Policy Ministry said.  The ship — managed by a Greek firm— had no cargo on board and sustained only material damage, the ministry said. The crew included 20 Ukrainians, three Filipinos and one Georgian.  Satellite-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed the Zografia still moving after the attack.  The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which monitors incidents in the Mideast's waterways, earlier acknowledged an attack in the vicinity of the Zografia.  Since November, the Houthis have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade.  U.S.-led airstrikes targeted Houthi positions on Friday and Saturday. In response, the Houthis launched a missile at a U.S.-owned bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden, further raising the risks in the conflict.